Mumbai, Nov 6 (PTI) The Maharashtra government on Friday allowed private buses to operate with full capacity ahead of Diwali holidays and issued an SOP to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.

The state government has directed private bus owners not to allow passengers without masks to board their vehicles and keep sanitsers at the entrance of buses along with extra masks.

Also Read | How to Set Up WhatsApp Payments on Your Smartphone to Send & Receive Money.

As per the SOP, a copy of which is with PTI, every passenger will be screened with a thermal gun before boarding and those with fever, cough and cold will not be permitted to travel.

Drivers should ensure that proper social distancing is maintained among passengers while boarding and alighting from buses, the SOP stated.

Also Read | Diwali 2020: Chandigarh Joins List of States and UTs That Have Banned Firecrackers Citing COVID-19.

Buses should be disinfected at the end of each journey and even reservation offices should be cleaned and sanitised, it was stated.

As per the guidelines, permit holders of buses will have to maintain proper records of disinfection of their buses.

The state government has also warned action against permit holders under Motor Vehicle Act 1988, Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 and Disaster Management Act 2005, in case the SOP is violated.

Private operators have been seeking to ply buses with full capacity, especially after the state government permitted the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) to so. PTI

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)